Story Published: Apr 24, 2009 at 11:19 AM PST
"Of the 35 largest cities in the state of Washington, only three don't have public indoor facilities, and those would be Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco," said Columbia Basin Racquet Club GM Randy Willis.
Without one -- many people hit the road instead.
"The drawback obviously is the drive. You got to load up your stuff and worry about food for the whole day. It's a commute going out of state. So it's not convenient," said Richland's Misty Fewel.
Hermiston's outdoor water park sees nearly 80,000 people a summer.
Half are from the Tri-Cities, taking their wallets out of their hometown.
Pasco's city manager told Action News the latest effort is to change a state law that would allow a Tri-City wide vote. That bill is now just waiting for a signature. Gary Crutchfield said he expects to get that within a few weeks.
"Bottom line is assuming we'll get through these steps, the voters will be able to go to a ballot and say yes or no to raising the sales tax by one or two tenths of a percent, which is like $20 on a $20,000 car. That's not a lot of money," said Crutchfield.
For now, it seems we'll keep treading water with this pipe dream.
